(© Bonnie Schiedel. Originally published in Canadian Family, April 2008)

A hands-on approach to calming and connecting with your baby 

At one time, infant massage was regarded as an alternative practice—despite being favoured by African and Asian cultures for untold years. Now it’s become a regular part of the day for many Canadian parents, who have tuned into the benefits of giving their baby a blissful massage, more and more Canadian parents are discovering the benefits of giving their baby a blissful massage.

"It was absolutely my favourite outing when my babies were small," says Sheryl Matthew of Bowen Island, BC. She took infant massage classes at Neo Mama in Vancouver with her twins, Oliver and Jemima, starting when they were three months old. "It was a very calming experience, and the twins were really engaged and content. Outside of the class, I would use massage to settle them down, and to help with gas and digestion."

"Parents often come to our classes to look for relief from colic, and sometimes sinus congestion too," says Erin Dolan, a Registered Massage Therapist (RMT) at Thrive Massage Therapy in Cobourg, Ontario, who teaches infant massage classes. "We also hear from first-time dads that massage is a hugely helpful way to bond with their babies."

Does it really work?
"Our research found that infants younger than 16 weeks who had a combination of massage and being carried cried less compared to just massage or just carrying," says Dr. Ruth Elliot, professor emeritus in the Faculty of Nursing at the University of Alberta in Edmonton. Plus, findings from the Touch Research Institute, at the University of Miami School of Medicine, indicate that massage is highly beneficial for premature babies—helping them to gain weight, become more alert and develop healthier bones.

As well, a team of researchers from Warwick Medical School and the Institute of Education at the University of Warwick in England found indications that infants under six months who were massaged cried less, slept better and had lower levels of stress hormones compared to infants who did not receive massage.

Choosing a class Ask about your instructor’s qualifications. Look for someone who is a RMT or is a Certified Infant Massage Instructor (CIMI) trained by the International Association of Infant Massage (visit www.iaim.ws/canada.html for Canadian practitioners). A health care professional, such as a physiotherapist or registered nurse, is also acceptable, adds Dolan. One instructor to three couples is a good ratio for group classes, and private classes may also be available. Consider your baby’s schedule when you’re signing up for a class, as Dolan notes that many babies are most receptive to getting massaged right after a nap. Most classes will teach skin-to-skin contact, or possibly use a mild, vegetable-based oil. Finally, your instructor should provide a baby-sized doll to practice on first, or to use if your little one is just not into the massage thing at the moment.

Healing touch at home
While it’s important to take a class from a certified instructor to learn safe and effective techniques, you can still try some of these basic moves:

• Sun Moon Take your left hand and gently but firmly draw a clockwise circle on the soft part of your baby’s abdomen. Then, use your right hand to draw a crescent moon down your baby’s side, moving from 12 o’clock to 5 o’clock. These moves are done separately, not at the same time.
• Cheek Circles Use your fingertips to make small circles around your baby’s jaw.
• Butterfly Cross Place your hands on your baby’s sides, at the bottom of the rib cage. Move your right hand across your baby’s chest diagonally to the shoulder and gently pull the shoulder, then move your hand back down the chest to its original position. Repeat with left hand, moving to the opposite shoulder.